Saturday morning, the weather's fine and as usual I'm 'a tad' late, no more than 10 minutes, but I had issues surrounding making the tea, nothing major. We decided to head for Godstone Green via the Enterdent. Yes, I know, it sounds like toothpaste, but it's a road and a very steep hill. It's also much longer than I remember it, and that's possibly because I haven't been this way for some time, let's say around eight years. It's amazing how time has flown by. Amazing and scary too, but yes, I was back on the Enterdent, riding up the hill, and wishing it would end if I'm honest, it seemed endless, but soon we turned right and virtually free-wheeled into Godstone, past the 'artisan baker', which we discovered was really a Coughlan's. We took a seat in front of the small lake on the green and watched as a flock of seagulls landed, frightening off two ducks who seemed to disappear off the face of the planet, clearly they were not impressed by the gulls. There were people around too: a woman walking two small dogs and getting tangled up in the lead, another woman with an Alsatian and a couple of blokes too, not forgetting a couple of runners.
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| The bikes on Godstone Green, 30 December 2018. Pic: Andy Smith |
We headed back the way we came in, but avoided the Enterdent. It's a quite a haul going out of Godstone and heading for Ganger's Hill. It's steep, as we know from past rides, the most recent being on Christmas Eve when we visited Flowers Farm for tea and cake. No such luxury today, just tea and Belvitas, but they did the job, even if I'm trying to stop eating biscuits (and cake). As the hill kicked in, I changed down in to low gear and did my best not to looked pained as I ascended the hill. The bike was being very noisy today. Clickety clack, clickety clack as I rode to Godstone and more of the same on the way back, it was annoying me.
Andy and I parted at the top of Sline's Oak Road, just like on Christmas Eve, and I once again rode down the hill, turning left on to Butlers Dene Road. I jumped back on to Sline's Oak and headed up the steep hill to the Limpsfield Road, losing momentum once, but managing to restart with relative ease and then riding leisurely towards Warlingham Green and then Sanderstead.
I reached home around 1030hrs, quite late considering our usual rides are much shorter, but I blame the hills en route (the Enterdent and then, of course, Ganger's). The bike needs a jet clean and one of these days it'll get one. It's also going to get its chain oiled and I must fix that fucking clickety clacking too.
